History of FIM

Costitution

Now over eighty years old, the Italian Powerboat Federation, which was founded in 1923 in Milan, had Ferdinand of Savoy, Prince of Udine, as its first president.Kings, princes, poets and prominent personalities of politics and economics have attended and brought prestige to power boating. Pictures of Prince Umberto of Savoy, the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio, Marquis Dal Pozzo, Count de Sangro, Guglielmo Marconi even Il Duce Benito Mussolini, are there in the archives, as witness to the prestige of this sport.Among the presidents elected at the head of the Federation are names such as the Duke of Spoleto, Count Borromeo, the great manufacturer of helicopters Mario Agusta, and then more recently the unforgettable Angelo Moratti and his son Massimo.Eighty years of history with characters and great achievements propelled the Italian movement into the international limelight.In 1929 came the Pavia-Venice Raid, the world's longest powerboat race, in 1930 Gabriele D'Annunzio, the poet from Pescara, presented the races of the Gardone, the Coppa dell’Oltranza.In 1932 the real institutional task of the federation began with the establishment of the National Championships. The following years recorded the first major international success of our drivers. The first world titles were won in '38 by Theo Rossi di Montelera for racing and by Augusto Moranti for the inboard discipline were memorable.Another historic moment for powerboat racing in Italy was the world speed record in outboard boats by Massimo Leto di Priolo in 1953. He reached 134 km/h on Lake Idroscalo, Milan, which was a remarkable speed at the time.Ezio Selva or Mario Verga are unforgettable names of drivers who have made history in this sport.Among the biggest in Italian powerboat racing must surely be Italian Renato Molinari, an exceptional driver, world champion in not just Formula 1 but many other international categories. The most recent Italian powerboat champion is Guido Cappellini who, in the most important international race series, Formula 1, has won more championships than anyone else in history.Offshore powerboat racing, which would become the blue ribbon series, started in America in the fifties and arrived in Italy on 14 July 1962 with the Viareggio-Bastia-Viareggio race. It was the beginning of an adventure that over the years has seen big names in action like Francis Casentino who, in addition to being a champion, was a leading figure on the political scene, as an MP and Political Advisor to the President of the Italian Republic.The Offshore golden years coincided with the beginning of the involvement of a well-known character, Stefano Casiraghi, Prince Consort of Caroline of Monaco, who gave powerboat incredible visibility.

Denomination

On the initiative of the Milan section of the Lega Navale (Italian Yachting Association), the Federazione motonautica or "Powerboat Federation" was founded on 10 December 1923. The Milan newspaper La Sera reported this news under the headline The Establishment of the Powerboat Federation on 13 December of that year:"After the closing of motorboat races held last September on Lake Maggiore, the nautical sports organisations and the Associations of Naval promotion, both commended and gave a clear address to the Milan section of the Lega Navale as well as the men who had contributed to the success of the initiative with diligence and enthusiasm. With the backing of the Milan section an institution arose with a dual function: to support and discipline national powerboat events and represent Italy at the International Union of Automobile Yachting based in Brussels".

Federal Office

The Italian Powerboat Federation began to operate officially in Milan, from its establishment on 11 March 1924 at the head offices of that city’s Lega Navale section (Palazzo della Provincia - Via Monforte 31).In 1931, the Royal Italian Powerboat Federation was moved to Rome in compliance with CONI directives.On 16-17 March 1949, the FIM returns to Milan chaired by Prince Vitaliano Borromeo Arese.

First National Championships

1929 was a historic year for Italian power boating with the original distance race for the Pavia-Venice Raid.